• Bank aims to have half a million customers using this digital service by year-end 2017
  • By region, largest number of customers for this service are concentrated in Madrid, with 43% of the total. They are followed by the regions of Valencia, with 24%; Canary Islands, with 8%; and Andalusia, 6%
  • Users of 'Connect with your expert' can contact their manager, who is always the same person, at their convenience and through the channel they prefer (telephone, e-mail, instant messaging via the app, etc)
  • On average, customers of this service are 22% more active than rest of the bank's customers

Bankia is now servicing 300,000 customers via online managers through 'Connect with your expert', the channel specialised in delivering personalised service and advising to digital customers remotely. This figure beats the target charted by the bank for 2016 by 50,000.

During the past year, the system tripled the number of customers who use it as their means for regularly interacting with the bank. Bankia aims to have half a million customers using this digital channel by the end of 2017.

'Connect with your expert' is Bankia's platform for providing personalised service and advice to customers with a digital profile. The bank assigns a personal manager to each customer whom they can contact during longer hours and through their preferred channel: telephone, e-mail, virtual chat, etc.; and using the device of their choosing: PC, laptop, tablet or telephone.

The personal managers, who are highly qualified in advisory work, act as the customer's point of contact with the bank. Each customer has a manager, who will always be the same person. The manager serves the customer at the customer's convenience, allowing the customer to do the same things as in a traditional branch but without the need to be physically present.

When dealing with their manager, customers can say when they wish to be contacted, the channel to be used and the issues that most interest them, to help determine the information that they wish to receive.

Mobile phones and afternoon use, digital customer preferences

Some 67% of customers prefer the bank to contact them on their mobile phone. And 18% have opted for e-mail, with the rest expressing no preference for a specific means of communication.

As for the time of use, 67% have indicated they prefer that communications be conducted during the afternoon.

Bankia launched this service in 2015. It was initially offered to digital customers (those who do not normally use their branch office) in the region of Madrid. It was then gradually rolled out to other regions until covering all of Spain this past September.

Regions where the service is most in demand

By region, the largest number of customers for this service are concentrated in Madrid, with 43% of the total, followed by the regions of Valencia, with 24%,; Canary Islands, with 8%, and Andalusia, 6%.

'At present, the differentiation of financial services must not only be done based on whether they are provided remotely or face-to-face, but rather as a function of whether the service is personalised or not. No matter how much virtualisation we see, our customers are going to prefer a personal relationship, which will attain its maximum value in advising and in contracting products. This personalised attention in Bankia is possible without having to go to the branch office', says Nemesio Fernández, head of the 'Connect with your expert' service.

The great response to the service is not only reflected in the number of users who prefer to deal with their managers remotely rather than at the branch, but also in that the service generates higher sales volumes.

Higher sales and margins per customer

In fact, sales to 'Connect with your expert' customers are 22% higher than the average for the bank's other customers who continue to prefer branches as the ordinary point of contact with Bankia.

All this is borne out by a higher return per customer, as the net margin per user of this service is 8.5% higher than for other customers.

The new Bankia app has a specific area for customers of this service. Customers can use the app to have a real-time chat with their manager, with the possibility of attaching files and sending voice messages. It also has a search engine for past documents shared with the manager. And the app offers the option, with a single click, of calling the advisor or requesting that the advisor call the customer. 'This communication channel is seeing a great uptake by our customers thanks to its flexibility, security and efficiency', Nemesio Fernández explained.

Bankia SA published this content on 04 January 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 10 January 2017 18:08:10 UTC.

Original documenthttp://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/300000-bankia-digital-customers-now-have-an-online-personal-advisor.html

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